Hilliard pulls law director from mayor's court after DUI arrest

Hilliard's law director, arrested on April 23 and charged with driving drunk, will no longer oversee the city's mayor's court.

Dean Narciso, The Columbus Dispatch

Hilliard’s law director, arrested on April 23 and charged with driving drunk, no longer will oversee the city’s mayor’s court.

Tracy L. Bradford has continued to function as law director since the incident in which police cameras show her swerving out of her lane along Smiley Road in Norwich Township. She refused blood-alcohol tests and failed parts of a field-sobriety test after being stopped by Hilliard police.

David Delande, the city’s finance director, will manage and supervise the court, including court personnel, according to a memo from Hilliard Mayor Donald Schonhardt.

Both Delande and Bradford were appointed to their respective posts this year.

Bradford, who makes about $106,000 annually, was heard on police video saying , “I screwed up.” She has denied that she was impaired.

Gerald Edwards, human-resources director, described the decision to remove Bradford as “ prudent."

“Let’s not cloud any issues and move forward.”

Bradford has been told she may keep her job pending the resolution of her criminal case.